I think you would’ve cheated too

Just small cheat, about the size of this small and very beloved person.

Who started wheezing yesterday, a wheeze that turned into a dreadful barking cough, a cough then accompanied by more and more difficult breathing.

I made the soonest doctor appointment I could, and when he said he didn't think it was a recurrence of the pneumonia but that it sounded like asthma which could be treated with ventolin, I went as fast as my legs could carry me to the pharmacy and bought not only the ventolin but the spacer and the face mask. Take that, zero purchase challenge.

Because if you have the ability and resources to help your baby, you'll obviously always do it. It made me grateful for my silly First World challenge, as if I have the ability to stave off disaster by choosing to cease all consumption. As if by drawing this imaginary (and temporary) line in the sand I'm protected from ever having to cease buying anything by real necessity.

We had a moment tonight when the bag was packed and the big kids were taken sleeping to the car, and we were ready to flee to our nearest hospital because her breathing was so bad it frightened us.

And then Adam managed to get some of the ventolin in her, and she's sleeping, and breathing peacefully.

What if there was no ventolin?

What if I had no money to buy it?

What if my baby wasn't breathing properly and there was no petrol in the car to take her to hospital, or no car, or no hospital?

It was a small cheat in the big picture. (We also cheated and bought ourselves one takeaway coffee each this afternoon, after a night of terrible sleep and a day of working, running around, a big scary important meeting and constantly peering anxiously at the baby.)

And we're through day 10.

Feels longer.

xxx

20 Comments on “I think you would’ve cheated too”

Nick UK

April 5, 2012 at 12:34 am

No choice, so its not a cheat at all.
Hope your small person feels better soon.
My oldest son has asthma, fairly atypical, just a terrible night cough lasting weeks when he has a cold, which at primary school age was often. Thanks be for ventolin.

Sue

April 5, 2012 at 5:52 am

Love my ventolin for me; scary idea needing it for the kids. Had Henners to Accident & Emergency last week- mashed his lips a bit face planting at the playground, no lasting damage. I love the NHS! Their advice was to get him drinking straws for a few days, and after meals have a rinse and spit- if they’d suggested he run around naked and whack his sister he might have liked it more, but not by much.

I’ve had my son in hospital with pneumonia twice in his short life (he’s 11) – it’s pretty scary when they’re not breathing well. Incidentally we were told to use ventolin the first time to help break up the mucous on his chest. We keep it in the house ‘just in case’ for all sorts of reasons.

In my opinion this doesn’t constitute a ‘cheat’. Sure you had to buy the stuff – but you’re can’t stand by and let your baby suffer because of a challenge, can you. Could you imagine the headlines if you did?!

You can’t consider yourself cheating here. While those of us in the first world do need to curb our consumption, I’m pretty sure we all believe in equal access to healthcare for everyone around the world. It’s not something we should deny ourselves, rather we should continue to campaign/ donate/ do whatever it takes to make healthcare a reality for all.

Stan

April 5, 2012 at 6:24 pm

Hi Fiona, A barking cough is so distinctive it was almost certainly croup. I remember walking through our front door once when Alex was very small and heard what could have been a dog bark from upstairs. In the absence of any medication the advice is to swamp them with steam (inside a tent or in the shower) or to take them out into very cold air for a few minutes (not something you are likely to have much of in Australia but you might have a walk in freezer on the farm). It is very scary and only two weeks ago we called 999 to get an ambulance out to William who was similarly having trouble breathing. It’s also very important to calm the affected person since a sense of panic will exacerbate the situation (difficult to do when you are in a state of almost panic yourself but you just have to pretend!). It’s caused by an infected airway, which in small children is already very small and any swelling creates a very restricted opening to breath through. Glad you are over it. Love to all.

Thank you, it did. Local council, big farm plans, all things being equal it wasn’t so bad. (If you don’t mind terror bureaucracy and walking into a room of 10 planners hoping to derail your plans. You know we can build a brothel, legally, on the farm but at present not run poultry? It’s insane.) x

Tammi

April 6, 2012 at 2:10 pm

This was definitely a case of necessary. We have dealt with childhood asthma with two of our sons so know exactly the predicament you were put in…hope your darling daughter is faring much better today.